Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 4: Two Olympian wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met Congress leader and the leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday creating a buzz that the Olympic medal winners could be the Congress candidates to contest the Haryana state Assembly elections scheduled to be held next month.
The speculations rose after Congress put out a photograph of Gandhi with Phogat and Punia on its official X handle. Sources in Congress said the party has offered ticket to Vinesh and told Punia that he would be accommodated in the government if it comes to power.
Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023. Responding to the speculations of Phogat and Punia joining the Congress and fighting the upcoming Haryana polls, All India Congress Committee (AICC) in charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria stated that no discussion on either Vinesh or Bajrang’s candidature took place at the Congress Central Election Committee meeting on Tuesday.
“Vinesh Phogat’s or Bajrang Punia’s names are not among them. I think, there will be clarity over this by the day after tomorrow,” said Babaria when asked if the names of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are among the 32 candidates that have been finalised earlier.
Congress’ CEC central election committee cleared the names of 66 candidates for the 90-member state Assembly till Tuesday. The Congress’ candidates list is set to be out in a day or two for the remaining candidates. Voting for the 90-member Assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5 and counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.
Mr Gandhi, who also kickstarted the party’s campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir elections on Wednesday said his party would “restore statehood to J&K after coming to power.” Aiming to win over the people of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Assembly elections, which begin in less than two weeks, Mr Gandhi opted to mix a political pitch with an emotional one while kicking off his party’s campaign in the Union Territory on Wednesday.
As Jammu and Kashmir sees its first election in nearly 10 years as well as its first as a Union Territory after it was stripped of its special status under Article 370 in 2019, Mr Gandhi made the restoration of statehood the central plank of his addresses on Wednesday while also reminding people of the ties of blood he and his family share with them, going as far back as his great-grandfather and India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
“The BJP has to announce the restoration of statehood to J&K, else the INDIA (Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance) bloc will be doing it as its first step after dethroning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party. We will ensure the return of statehood to the region, whether the BJP wants it or not. We will pressurise the government under the banner of the INDIA alliance,” Mr Gandhi said.
Mr Gandhi was addressing supporters in Anantnag’s Dooru in south Kashmir. In a show of strength, he was joined by National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and NC MP Mian Altaf. The two parties are contesting the 90-seat Assembly election jointly. Mr Gandhi also targeted the BJP for turning J&K into a Union Territory. “J&K was a State and downgraded to two Union Territories. The term democracy fits with a State that has its own Assembly, where issues are discussed and laws are made. All such things were snatched [from J&K],” Mr Gandhi said.
Mr Gandhi also took a jibe at the J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha – and the BJP-led government at the Centre through him – by calling him a ‘raja‘ (king). Referring to the reign of kings in J&K prior to 1947, Mr Gandhi said, “The Maharajas were sidelined to pave the way for democracy and an elected government. However, we have an L-G (Lieutenant Governor). The ‘L-G’ word is a wrong term. It should be ‘Raja’ of the 21st Century. He acts at his will,” Mr Gandhi said.
The BJP, which will see its campaign begin on Friday with rallies being addressed by Home Minister Amit Shah, hit back and accused the Congress-National Conference alliance in the Union Territory of being supported by militants.
Addressing another rally in Anantnag, he spoke about the personal ties he has with the people of the state. “You know that you and I have a blood relation. This is not a political relationship. Be it Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru, it is an old relationship. Whatever you want from me, my doors are always open for you. I want to serve you in Parliament. I will raise your issues, your pain and your sorrow. The country needs to know that this is the first time in India’s history that a state has become a Union Territory,” he said.
Mr Gandhi also claimed that the BJP has used the Kashmiri Pandit issue for political reasons and has not helped the community. Using his oft-repeated ‘mohabbat ki dukaan‘ (shop of love) phrase, he asserted that the Congress will stand with the community and work for its welfare if the party forms a government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The National Conference is the senior partner of the alliance in the UT, contesting 51 of 90 Assembly seats against the Congress’ 32 – with friendly fights in five constituencies – and party chief Farooq Abdullah said the coalition will be successful in the elections.
“We are raising our voice. This is a slap on the face of people who called us Pakistanis, Khalistanis and whatnot. I hope that the people of India will understand that we want Jammu and Kashmir and its people to prosper after the difficult time they have been through. This is the first time a state has become a Union Territory. We need to change this, we want statehood, and that’s what we are working towards,” he said.